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Article Post from Lost

purplepittabread88

Staff Member
Administrator
Things seem doom and gloom due to injuries and poor coaching. I’m doing okay as I’m in permanent isolation during graduate school(I’ve had COVID twice, once back in February(unconfirmed), and once in July(confirmed). I am doing okay. I will not get mad at a season with this many injuries. I’m more reasonable than that. Here’s my predictions for the upcoming offseason.


Offseason:

Fire

  • Greg Roman

    • I’ve been saying that Roman was an average play caller since last year. Between misutilization Hayden Hurst and Justice Hill last year, to horrific load management amongst the running backs this year, to not being able to create separation in the WR corps despite having two of the faster players in the league between Hollywood and Duvernay. We have the personnel to have a top 3 offense. We have an identity. We have a quarterback, we have a very strong defense. We lack trenches on the offensive side of the ball(though Tyre Phillips shows upside despite his struggles, and Mekari looks like he’s going to be a quality starter at the NFL level). Roman holds us back. We need to transition to a more traditional offense. For this team to advance, Roman needs to be fired.
Resign

  • Yannick Ngakoue(franchise tag)

  • Derek Wolfe

  • Jimmy Smith

  • Jihad Ward

  • Pernell Mcphee

  • Tyus Bowser
Restructure/Pay Cut/Extend

  • Brandon Williams(if not outright cut him. We would save $7 million. Never should’ve resigned him to that insane contract but here we are).

  • Nick Boyle(You’d save $5 million if you cut him. He’s another overpay. But like Bwill is good enough to where I don’t mind if he was on the team. I’d like to see him extended so we can prolong him and get cap relief).
Cut/Let Walk

  • Matt Judon(and give him the finger on the way out too. His undisciplined ass routinely costs us, he can’t beat NFL tackles one on one, he’s not a good run defender, this was the worst decision Decosta has made. He and Earl Thomas were the largest culprits in a defensive locker room that was toxic. So much so that Eric intentionally got two good leaders in the locker room and rightly sent Earl Thomas packing. We should’ve let him walk.).

  • Matt Skura(I told you so. Only looked solid next year sandwiched in between a hall of famer and a guard who might make the pro bowl this year. Now that the hall of famer is gone he looks like he did in 2018 and 2017, he’s a complete liability. We have a better version of Skura on the roster in Mekari, who’s actually turned into a quality starter. I think our big problem with the offensive line at this current moment is injuries. We’d be okay if we were healthy since Mekari gets us up to 4 good starters, and I think one of Phillips, Powers, and Bredeson can emerge as a solid starter, so I won’t be prioritizing oline. At least he seems like a nice guy. Btw no one hates Skura more than I do but threatening him and his family is utterly deplorable. Whoever did that should be ashamed.)
Sign

  • Marcus Maye, FS

    • Two things can be true at once. 1. De’Shon Elliot is a good football player. 2. He’s not a full time at FS. He has the instincts and ball skills to be passable, but he’s more of a strong safety at the NFL level due to the fact that he’s an average athlete. I’m happy Elliot is here, but this allows us to add strength to strength. Marcus Maye is a classic ravens signing. Not likely to be too expensive since his name is under the radar, a quality player on a bad team. I wouldn’t expect us to make too many moves in FA. We don’t have the capital since the smartest thing to do would be to retain most of our veterans on temporary contracts. Maye bolsters the secondary depth while giving us a quality starter that can help us against QBs like Patrick Mahomes. It’s a signing that makes too much sense.
  • We’ll probably sign some special teams players along this. Thankfully we don’t have too many needs.
Draft


Round One: Pat Friermuth, TE, Penn State

  • I know, put your torches and pitchforks down and hear me out on this one. This goes back to two things that can be true at once. 1. Trading Hayden Hurst was the right thing to do, and JK Dobbins is good enough to make a pro bowl one day. 2. We miss Hayden Hurst and he was a big part of our offense last year. Now, believe it or not, I actually have faith in the offensive line moving forward. Bozeman looks like a potential pro bowler, Mekari looks like a quality starter, Tyre Phillips despite mostly struggling has upside and had moments where he looked good. What were we missing? Well, a third good tight end. Enter Pat Friermuth. Tight end is not necessarily the biggest position of need, but he would be the easy best player available in the mid 20s. His biggest weakness is his athleticism, but I would put his athleticism on par with Mark Andrews. He looks to be a really strong blocker at the point of attack, and most importantly he’s a good route runner over the middle, he knows how to find soft spots in the zone, and he plays like a Raven. He’s tough as nails and will knock you on your ass whether he’s blocking or he’s running after the catch. Unlike a certain Crockett Gillmore, if you get one on one with him in the red zone he’s physical enough at the point of attack that even most linebackers won’t be able to cover him. He’s too fast for safeties, too big for linebackers, great hands, technically sound game, immediate contributor and not just on the stat sheet. There’s also something that most people are underestimating. Mark Andrews, Bradley Bozeman, and Orlando Brown Jr. are FA’s after this year. I think us bringing Bozeman back is almost a guarantee, even with Brown there, he’s the anchor of the middle. I think we’d be insane to let Andrews walk, but it’s possible. Freiermuth is both an ideal complement to Mark Andrews, and a worthy replacement if we let him walk. This isn’t the sexy pick, but it’s the right one. This is an identity pick, because it allows us to go back to what we did in 2019 without the gimmick of the read option. We’re gonna run the ball down your throat, we’re going to kick your ass in play-action, and we are going to play jumbo packages all day long to tire your defense out. If you want to score on us, look at our defense, we wish you luck. This pick isn’t sexy, but it makes us a better football team, and I’d take Friermuth over most of the wide receivers in the first round.
Round Two: Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest

  • That said. There isn’t a bigger need on the offense right now than wide receiver. I know we took a pass catcher in the first, but there’s a theme for this draft. Build around Lamar. I’ve given up on Boykin. May seem too premature, but I just don’t think he and Lamar have the chemistry. I don’t think he’s a bad player, but he needs to go to a team that will use him for what he is, a good big Slot WR(please trade him to Green Bay). We don’t need a slot WR, we have Duvernay and Proche for that. That said, this past season has told me a truth, something I feared. Marquise Brown isn’t a #1 WR. That’s not a knock on him, I’ve always thought he was a Desean Jackson clone, and I would take Desean Jackson in the first round 10/10 times because he’s very dangerous. Brown is still a great football player. But the thing we lack on offense is someone who can keep the offense on schedule. Someone who on 3rd and 8 you can reliably depend upon to get the first down regardless of who he’s playing. Sage Surrat is that guy. I think he’d be a first round pick if he didn’t opt out(assuming he didn’t get hurt). Surratt is the antithesis of Brown and Duvernay. He’s not a burner. He’s a very good route runner, smooth, he’s got strong hands, he’s smart, he’s fundamentally sound, already coached up well. He’s sneaky good after the catch because he’s very physical, unlike Boykin. He’s good at positioning and timing on jump balls, and will beat up on corners all game because he knows how to use his size. He’s a competent blocker, and he needs some work on the little things, but he does a lot of the big things well. He’s not perfect, but he looks like a good possession WR at the NFL level. Routinely at Wake Forest his QB would look at him over the middle and on critical third down situations because even though he isn’t sexy, he gets the job done.
Round Four: Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa

  • Iowa usually coaches up their offensive tackles nicely. Jackson is not a great athlete but he’s big and strong at the point of attack. We need to remember that Orlando Brown Jr. is a FA next year, and we probably won’t be able to retain him. At worst Jackson becomes a quality backup swing tackle we were missing this year. At best he becomes the ideal replacement and works his magic.
Round Five: Jordan Scott, NT, Oregon

  • We Like our nose tackles short and powerful. Scott is both of those things. He provides next to no value in the pass rush, but he’s strong at the point of attack, he’s a good, steady run defender, he’s well coached and he’s smart. Brandon Williams isn’t getting any younger and we need to find his long-term replacement. We can usually maximize defensive linemen we find in the middle rounds. At worst Scott is quality depth at NT. With his athleticism I feel like we can coach up him to be a starter.
Round Six: Michael Clemons, DE, Texas A&M

  • Provides some much needed depth.
 

cdp

Ravens Ring of Honor
This looks like and reads like one of lost's articles. If yes, thanks for posting this. The moves you proposed make sense - one question though: Who would you think is an ideal OC?
Imho the biggest need we have is iOl. I'm fine with drafting a OG/C/OT in the 1st.
 

gtalk12

Ravens Ring of Honor
I would not franchise Yannick. I'd just sign him. He is worth keeping.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
This looks like and reads like one of lost's articles. If yes, thanks for posting this. The moves you proposed make sense - one question though: Who would you think is an ideal OC?
Imho the biggest need we have is iOl. I'm fine with drafting a OG/C/OT in the 1st.

100% agree on the needs - OL is not fine as we've seen - we need some quality on the interior not just guys who can be passable when not hung out to dry

also pretty sure we wont be restructuring brandon given we just did that and he took a paycut so that he likely wouldnt be cut in 2021 but who knows maybe they still cut him anyway - but i doubt he agrees to another restructure

absolutely no way in hell is nick boyle going to be cut or taking a restructure - it's more likely he gets extended if he's amenable for the right price

i havent jumped into the draft yet but as far as i can see there's no TE i'm taking in round 1 not named Kyle Pitts
 

JO_75

Hall of Famer
Things seem doom and gloom due to injuries and poor coaching. I’m doing okay as I’m in permanent isolation during graduate school(I’ve had COVID twice, once back in February(unconfirmed), and once in July(confirmed). I am doing okay. I will not get mad at a season with this many injuries. I’m more reasonable than that. Here’s my predictions for the upcoming offseason.


Offseason:

Fire

  • Greg Roman
    • I’ve been saying that Roman was an average play caller since last year. Between misutilization Hayden Hurst and Justice Hill last year, to horrific load management amongst the running backs this year, to not being able to create separation in the WR corps despite having two of the faster players in the league between Hollywood and Duvernay. We have the personnel to have a top 3 offense. We have an identity. We have a quarterback, we have a very strong defense. We lack trenches on the offensive side of the ball(though Tyre Phillips shows upside despite his struggles, and Mekari looks like he’s going to be a quality starter at the NFL level). Roman holds us back. We need to transition to a more traditional offense. For this team to advance, Roman needs to be fired.
Resign

  • Yannick Ngakoue(franchise tag)

  • Derek Wolfe

  • Jimmy Smith

  • Jihad Ward

  • Pernell Mcphee

  • Tyus Bowser
Restructure/Pay Cut/Extend

  • Brandon Williams(if not outright cut him. We would save $7 million. Never should’ve resigned him to that insane contract but here we are).

  • Nick Boyle(You’d save $5 million if you cut him. He’s another overpay. But like Bwill is good enough to where I don’t mind if he was on the team. I’d like to see him extended so we can prolong him and get cap relief).
Cut/Let Walk

  • Matt Judon(and give him the finger on the way out too. His undisciplined ass routinely costs us, he can’t beat NFL tackles one on one, he’s not a good run defender, this was the worst decision Decosta has made. He and Earl Thomas were the largest culprits in a defensive locker room that was toxic. So much so that Eric intentionally got two good leaders in the locker room and rightly sent Earl Thomas packing. We should’ve let him walk.).

  • Matt Skura(I told you so. Only looked solid next year sandwiched in between a hall of famer and a guard who might make the pro bowl this year. Now that the hall of famer is gone he looks like he did in 2018 and 2017, he’s a complete liability. We have a better version of Skura on the roster in Mekari, who’s actually turned into a quality starter. I think our big problem with the offensive line at this current moment is injuries. We’d be okay if we were healthy since Mekari gets us up to 4 good starters, and I think one of Phillips, Powers, and Bredeson can emerge as a solid starter, so I won’t be prioritizing oline. At least he seems like a nice guy. Btw no one hates Skura more than I do but threatening him and his family is utterly deplorable. Whoever did that should be ashamed.)
Sign

  • Marcus Maye, FS
    • Two things can be true at once. 1. De’Shon Elliot is a good football player. 2. He’s not a full time at FS. He has the instincts and ball skills to be passable, but he’s more of a strong safety at the NFL level due to the fact that he’s an average athlete. I’m happy Elliot is here, but this allows us to add strength to strength. Marcus Maye is a classic ravens signing. Not likely to be too expensive since his name is under the radar, a quality player on a bad team. I wouldn’t expect us to make too many moves in FA. We don’t have the capital since the smartest thing to do would be to retain most of our veterans on temporary contracts. Maye bolsters the secondary depth while giving us a quality starter that can help us against QBs like Patrick Mahomes. It’s a signing that makes too much sense.
  • We’ll probably sign some special teams players along this. Thankfully we don’t have too many needs.
Draft


Round One: Pat Friermuth, TE, Penn State

  • I know, put your torches and pitchforks down and hear me out on this one. This goes back to two things that can be true at once. 1. Trading Hayden Hurst was the right thing to do, and JK Dobbins is good enough to make a pro bowl one day. 2. We miss Hayden Hurst and he was a big part of our offense last year. Now, believe it or not, I actually have faith in the offensive line moving forward. Bozeman looks like a potential pro bowler, Mekari looks like a quality starter, Tyre Phillips despite mostly struggling has upside and had moments where he looked good. What were we missing? Well, a third good tight end. Enter Pat Friermuth. Tight end is not necessarily the biggest position of need, but he would be the easy best player available in the mid 20s. His biggest weakness is his athleticism, but I would put his athleticism on par with Mark Andrews. He looks to be a really strong blocker at the point of attack, and most importantly he’s a good route runner over the middle, he knows how to find soft spots in the zone, and he plays like a Raven. He’s tough as nails and will knock you on your ass whether he’s blocking or he’s running after the catch. Unlike a certain Crockett Gillmore, if you get one on one with him in the red zone he’s physical enough at the point of attack that even most linebackers won’t be able to cover him. He’s too fast for safeties, too big for linebackers, great hands, technically sound game, immediate contributor and not just on the stat sheet. There’s also something that most people are underestimating. Mark Andrews, Bradley Bozeman, and Orlando Brown Jr. are FA’s after this year. I think us bringing Bozeman back is almost a guarantee, even with Brown there, he’s the anchor of the middle. I think we’d be insane to let Andrews walk, but it’s possible. Freiermuth is both an ideal complement to Mark Andrews, and a worthy replacement if we let him walk. This isn’t the sexy pick, but it’s the right one. This is an identity pick, because it allows us to go back to what we did in 2019 without the gimmick of the read option. We’re gonna run the ball down your throat, we’re going to kick your ass in play-action, and we are going to play jumbo packages all day long to tire your defense out. If you want to score on us, look at our defense, we wish you luck. This pick isn’t sexy, but it makes us a better football team, and I’d take Friermuth over most of the wide receivers in the first round.
Round Two: Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest

  • That said. There isn’t a bigger need on the offense right now than wide receiver. I know we took a pass catcher in the first, but there’s a theme for this draft. Build around Lamar. I’ve given up on Boykin. May seem too premature, but I just don’t think he and Lamar have the chemistry. I don’t think he’s a bad player, but he needs to go to a team that will use him for what he is, a good big Slot WR(please trade him to Green Bay). We don’t need a slot WR, we have Duvernay and Proche for that. That said, this past season has told me a truth, something I feared. Marquise Brown isn’t a #1 WR. That’s not a knock on him, I’ve always thought he was a Desean Jackson clone, and I would take Desean Jackson in the first round 10/10 times because he’s very dangerous. Brown is still a great football player. But the thing we lack on offense is someone who can keep the offense on schedule. Someone who on 3rd and 8 you can reliably depend upon to get the first down regardless of who he’s playing. Sage Surrat is that guy. I think he’d be a first round pick if he didn’t opt out(assuming he didn’t get hurt). Surratt is the antithesis of Brown and Duvernay. He’s not a burner. He’s a very good route runner, smooth, he’s got strong hands, he’s smart, he’s fundamentally sound, already coached up well. He’s sneaky good after the catch because he’s very physical, unlike Boykin. He’s good at positioning and timing on jump balls, and will beat up on corners all game because he knows how to use his size. He’s a competent blocker, and he needs some work on the little things, but he does a lot of the big things well. He’s not perfect, but he looks like a good possession WR at the NFL level. Routinely at Wake Forest his QB would look at him over the middle and on critical third down situations because even though he isn’t sexy, he gets the job done.
Round Four: Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa

  • Iowa usually coaches up their offensive tackles nicely. Jackson is not a great athlete but he’s big and strong at the point of attack. We need to remember that Orlando Brown Jr. is a FA next year, and we probably won’t be able to retain him. At worst Jackson becomes a quality backup swing tackle we were missing this year. At best he becomes the ideal replacement and works his magic.
Round Five: Jordan Scott, NT, Oregon

  • We Like our nose tackles short and powerful. Scott is both of those things. He provides next to no value in the pass rush, but he’s strong at the point of attack, he’s a good, steady run defender, he’s well coached and he’s smart. Brandon Williams isn’t getting any younger and we need to find his long-term replacement. We can usually maximize defensive linemen we find in the middle rounds. At worst Scott is quality depth at NT. With his athleticism I feel like we can coach up him to be a starter.
Round Six: Michael Clemons, DE, Texas A&M

  • Provides some much needed depth.

You don't think we'll dip into the free agent Wide Receiver Position next year? Or will they over price themselves out of our range? I was looking at the free agents at receiver next year and I'm thinking things are lining up to get Lamar his Anquan Boldin next year. I'm sure Allen Robinson will be way too much so unless EDC works his magic and gets him cheaper, I'll be shocked. Not even Marvin Jones, I'd say he's one that would be in our range and someone we can realistically get.
 

SepticeyePoe

Hall of Famer
You let Skura go, you know Bozeman and Brown are coming up on free agency, and you don't address the oline until round 4? I know you don't want to reach, but I think we'll be in a better spot to draft one of the 1st round talents this year.
 

cdp

Ravens Ring of Honor
100% agree on the needs - OL is not fine as we've seen - we need some quality on the interior not just guys who can be passable when not hung out to dry

also pretty sure we wont be restructuring brandon given we just did that and he took a paycut so that he likely wouldnt be cut in 2021 but who knows maybe they still cut him anyway - but i doubt he agrees to another restructure

absolutely no way in hell is nick boyle going to be cut or taking a restructure - it's more likely he gets extended if he's amenable for the right price

i havent jumped into the draft yet but as far as i can see there's no TE i'm taking in round 1 not named Kyle Pitts
Lost wrote that Boyle is a likely candidate for an extension?
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
Tell this mf that he’s tripping on all fronts, one for cutting Boyle, two for that mock draft, I’m disappointed and his sanity is slipping the longer he stays away from the boards.

And idk about y’all but I miss having Lost wreaking havoc all over the boards, now I feel like I’m the only one who’s profane and inappropriate 99% of the time
 

Dom McRaven

Hall of Famer
Tell this mf that he’s tripping on all fronts, one for cutting Boyle, two for that mock draft, I’m disappointed and his sanity is slipping the longer he stays away from the boards.

And idk about y’all but I miss having Lost wreaking havoc all over the boards, now I feel like I’m the only one who’s profane and inappropriate 99% of the time
I miss Lost too. His personality just.......adds to this website.
 
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